The present invention relates to animal figures which have primary utility as hunting decoys, but also have other utilities such as lawn ornaments, museum display devices, crop protection devices, and theatrical props.
Animal decoys have long been used by hunters to attract game such as waterfowl, game birds, deer, and other animals. The decoys are used to draw the game within the hunter's shooting range. Some decoys are placed within a body of water, while others are arranged on land. The shape of the decoy is used to attract any overflying birds or land animals. Obviously, the more life-like a decoy looks, the more likely it is to attract game.
Such decoys are also used by bird watchers to attract birds for observation. Still further, such decoys have utility in crop protection schemes where they serve to frighten away scavenging animals. Life-like decoys also have been used in museums as part of animal displays and have been used simply as lawn and garden ornamentation.
The patent literature is replete with decoy designs. U.S. Pat. No. 2,706,357 to Nigh et al., for example, illustrates a duck decoy which can be disassembled for storage purposes. The decoy comprises a frame formed by two longitudinally extending ribs and a plurality of interlocking transverse ribs and a preformed skin or cover that fits over the frame. The skin or cover is formed by two pieces, each having the contour of the head and the body of a duck. The two cover pieces are joined together by slide fasteners, adhesive tape, leak-sealing compound, or waterproof adhesive. Features such as the duck's eyes and the wings are painted onto the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,798 to Tryon illustrates a goose decoy of the silhouette type formed by a flat body portion and a flat wing portion, both of which are covered by color photographs of a goose. An elongated member, such as a stake, connected to the body portion is used to position the decoy in a desired position. The principal deficiency of this type of decoy is that it is not life-like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,464 to Rudolph relates to a flexible fabric covering for avian decoys for enhancing the life-like accuracy of the decoy. Markings are illustrated on the exterior of the covering and represent the surface features of a wildfowl. The markings may be created by techniques such as hand painting, printing or silk-screening. A reflective iridescent panel is attached to the covering at substantially the location of a duck's secondary feathers to mimic the iridescence of the secondary feathers. The covering is removably secured to the decoy by a drawstring or elastic band so as to reduce damage to the cover during transport of the decoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,421 to Jacob relates to a windsock type of decoy. The Jacob decoy has a head portion and a neck portion made of relatively rigid material, which head and neck portions are formed to simulate the head and neck of a waterfowl. A body portion includes a flexible bag of wind sock construction having an opening which is maintained in an open condition by a hoop member. A hoop support is provided for supporting the hoop member for rotation about a generally vertical axis of rotation generally coincident with a diameter of the hoop. The hoop support includes a strip of resilient material extending from the support into the bag and terminating at a free end adjacent the tail. The free end is centrally located on a spreader at the tail of the bag. The spreader maintains the strip centrally along an upper panel of the flexible bag. The head and body portion are also connected to the support member for rotation therewith. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,506 to Tiley et al. illustrates a similar windsock type of decoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,913 to Brice relates to a collapsible decoy made up of a collapsible frame with a flexible covering. The frame includes a first large wire arch with a wire tail and an attached head configuration and a second wire arch. A pivot connects the large arch with the second arch so that the two can be rotated to be essentially one on top of the other in a flat position and then rotated 90.degree. to an expanded position. An anchoring pole is fixed to the large arch so that the decoy can be supported from the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,012 to Coleman illustrates a similar wire frame type of decoy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,408 to Heiges et al. relates to a waterfowl decoy comprising a solid molded body having a layer of burlap-like material adhesively secured to its outer surface. The fabric covering is coated with the adhesive. A shaped head is affixed to the body, and the coated fabric is painted to resemble a selected waterfowl species. A keel including means for securing and retaining an anchor line is provided on the bottom of the body. The keel includes a recess adapted for retaining a deployed anchor line. The fabric covering used on the commercial embodiment of this decoy is a hard nonremovable burlap cover intended to protect the foam body and to make it easier to paint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,824 to Szolis illustrates a wildlife decoy having a form which includes a head section and a tail section, at least one longitudinal support coupled to the head and tail sections, a plurality of circumferential ribs attached to the longitudinal support(s), and a skin attached to the decoy form so as to overlay at least a portion of each of the supports and ribs.
Despite the existence of these decoys, there remains a need for a life-like, three-dimensional decoy which can attract birds such as geese, ducks, and other game birds and which, when in the form of a land animal, can attract other land animals.